Container support



0 1959 E. E. THOMAS 2,908,468

CONTAINER SUPPORT I Filed 001:. 5, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Srwentor Earl E. Thamas J ammz i Dct. 13, 1959 E. E. THOMAS CONTAINER SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5, 1953 Snnentor T. M0 n United States Patent CONTAINER SUPPORT Earl E. Thomas, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 5, 1953, Serial No. 384,123

2 Claims. (Cl. 248226) This invention relates to paint pans and particularly paint pans especially suited to use of roller painters.

An object is to so install a friction-inducing screen or the like within an open-topped paint pan and against a wall of such pan that a painting roller may be lightly pressed against such screen during withdrawal from the pan, assuring a desired rotation of the roller.

Another object is to conform the bottom portion of said screen to the rounded bottom of the pan and to detachably secure the upper edge of the screen to a margin of the top opening.

Another object is to provide a spring clip detachably mounting the screen on the pan, and to adapt such clip to further grip the shank portion of a roller type of painter and thus retain such painter in the pan during periods of non-use.

Another object is to so pivotal-1y attach a supporting bracket to a paint pan as to afford the latter numerous selective positions of use.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is an end elevation in partial section of my im proved pan surmounting a step ladder.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view corresponding to Fig. 1.

Fig 3 is an end elevational view in partial section of the pan as carried by a table or floor.

Fig. 4 shows in end elevation how the pan may be suspended from a rung of an ordinary ladder.

Fig. 5 shows in end elevation the pan suspended from a painters belt.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlargement of a portion of Fig. 1, showing the pivotal connection of the supporting bracket to the pan.

Fig. 7 is a diametrical sectional view of said pivotal connection, taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the supporting bracket.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of several spring clips. formed by a single length of wire.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates the bottom of an open-topped sheet metal pan having front and rear walls 2 and 3 and end walls 4. The bottom is of a rounded trough form and preferably integrally connects the front and rear walls. It is preferred to diverge the front and rear walls as they extend upwardly at an angle approximating ten degrees. The rear wall extend-s upwardly materially beyond the front wall, whereby the plane of the rectangular opening 5 at the pan top has a diagonal relation to the end walls. The angle included between such plane and the front wall preferably approximates 135 degrees. The upper margin of the rear wall forms a lip 6 bent toward the front-wall to minimize the possibility of spilling paint when the pan is inclined, as in Figs. 1 or 3.

Preferably a sheet 7 of wire screen or other frictiom indueting material is disposed within the pan against its rear wall, such sheet substantially abutting the end walls and comprising a lower portion seating on and conforming to the bottom 1. The upper margin of such sheet number of wire spring clips 8, 9 and 10 straddle the lip and adjoined sheet 7 to hold the latter detachably in place. Preferably the clip 9 is disposed midway from the pan ends and forms a U tongue 9a bearing on the screen sheet and projecting above the lip 6 to form a spring keeper for the shank 11 of a roller painter 12. The several described clips may be formed by a contiruous length of wire 13, as best appears in Fig. 9. The purpose of the screen sheet is to present a friction-inducing surface to the roller 12 as the latter is shifted toward the opening 5 after receiving paint. Said sheet assures a rotational rather than a mere sliding travel of the roller, whereby paint is uniformly distributed over the work-engaging (face of the roller and any excess is removed. Detachability of the screen sheet is highly desirable to permit a thorough cleaning of the pan and screen when necessary.

Fig. 3 illustrates an alternative construction eliminating the described screen sheet but securing the effect thereof by forming the rear wall with horizontal corrugations occupying substantially the entire area of such wall. Provision of a friction-inducing surface on or adjacent the rear wall is highly desirable since even a light pressure of the roller against such surface will assure rotation during roller withdrawal, whereas the roller would merely slide along a smooth surface unless subjected to considerable pressure.

Straddling the end walls of the described pan are the parallel terminal arms 14 of a wire bracket (Fig. 8) such arms having terminal eyelets 15 engaging aligned bolts 16 inserted in said end walls. Interconnecting said arms is a yoke comprising aligned ofisets 17 interconnected by a central member 18 parallel to the offsets and having its radius with respect to said bolts increased as compared to that of the offsets. Interconnecting the portion 18 and the offsets are a pair of Ushaped spring clamps 19 similarly projecting transversely to the plane established by said arms and offsets, the closed ends of such clamps being remote from said plane. For a purpose hereinafter explained, it is preferred to similarly form the clamps 19 with slight enlargements adjoining their open ends, such enlargements resulting from curving opposed upper and lower portions 19a of each clamp slightly up and down as best appears in Fig. 8.

Wing nuts 20 on the bolts 16 serve to clamp the bracket to the pan in selective pivotal positions. The derived clamping effect is greatly increased by securing to each arm 14 a sheet metal washer 21 having a set of corrugations 22 for meshing with a similar circular set of corrugations 23 formed by the adjacent wall 4. Each washer 21 is further formed with a radial pocket 24 receiving the adjoining arm 14 and has a central pocket 25 for the eyelet of such arm. Thus when the wing-nuts are tightened, the arms are clamped firmly in the pockets 24, preventing relative rotation of the arms and washers, and the latter are locked against rotation on the pivot bolts.

Due primarily to its adjustable wire bracket, the described paint pan may be variously supported to suit different conditions of use. Thus Fig. 1 shows the clamps of the bracket gripping the top platform 2601. a step ladder 26a, it being feasible to similarly employ any step of the ladder as a mounting for the bracket. Fig. 3 shows a floor or table 27 employed as a support, the members 19 serving merely as feet resting on such floor or table. Fig. 4 shows the bracket adjusted to suspend the paint pan from a cylindrical rung 28 of an ordinary ladder 28a. Fig. 5 shows the bracket employed to suspend the pan from a belt 29 worn by a painter. Such belt typifies any arrangement of harness which a painter may wear to extend through the clamps 19 for carrying the paint pan.

the lip 6 relative to the rear wall and conforming angularityof the sheet 7 adapts the clips 8, 9 and 10 to force said sheet firmly against said wall, as the clips are applied. Conforming the sheet 7 to the end walls and botton1 of the pan safeguards the sheet against lateral or downward shifting and minimizes the spring efiort exerted by the clips to hold the screen in place.

' What I claim is: I

1. The combination with an open-topped container having apair of opposed walls, of a supporting bracket for such' container having a pair of arms straddling said walls and having pivotal ends, a pair of bolts headed within the container and respectively projecting through the respective walls to engage said pivotal ends, washers carried by the bolts exteriorly of the container and having radially elongated pockets receiving the arms, and nuts on the bolts clampingthe washers against said walls to maintain selective pivotal. positions of said bracket. 2. The combination with an open-topped container having a pair of opposed walls, of a bracket terminally forming arms straddling said walls, Isuchj arms having 'p'iv} ta l"ends, thejjbrackct havinga' yoke portioninte r- "connectin'g'theother'ends of said arms, and formed with 4 a pair of similar spaced spring clamps of'an' approximate U form projecting from and transverselyto the plane established by said arms, and offset toward each other from the arms, pivoting means comprising bolts headed within the. container and projecting through said opposed walls on a common axis to engage the pivotal ends of said arms, washers carried by the bolts exteriorly of the container and having radially elongated pockets receiving the arms, and nuts on the bolts clamping the washers against said walls to maintain selective. pivotal positions of the bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 604,549 Spencer May 24, 1898 787,911 Gerhardt et a1. Apr. 25, 1905 1,177,840 Witt et a1. Apr. 4, 1916 1,697,710 Bostroem Ian. 1, 1929 1,772,392 Firl Aug. 5,- 1930 1,853,153 Skeel Apr. 12, 1932 1,889,286 Kaipust Nov. 29,1932 1,900,636 Davis Mar. 7, 1933 2,252,639 Miller Aug. 12, 1941 2,487,645 Gershon Nov. 8; 1949 2,508,258 Heinrich 'M ay 16,' 1950 2,542,737 Vogel Feb. 20, 1951 2,635,797 Siebert Apr. 21; 1953 2,653,218 Schilling et'al. "Sept.' 22, 1953 2,659,096 Mencfeldowskilr. 17,195?! 2,659,917 Drum Nov;j2 4,"'195 3 2,661,858

Howell b s, 19153 

